Rebellions
Introduction Two internal rebellions are often considered to be part of the larger Century of Humiliation narrative: the Taiping Rebellion and the Boxer Uprising. Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion was a "Christian" rebellion led by failed Civil Service Examinee, Hong Xiuquan. Hong Claimed to have received revelation from God that revealed that he was the literal brother of Jesus and destined to rule China in a "Heavenly Kingdom of Peace." The rebellion largely grew out of anti-Manchu sentiment that was felt by the majority Han ethnic group as well as the various minority groups (such as Hong's Hakka ethnicity). The rebellion faced a harsh putdown by French and British troops who came to the aid of the Qing Dynasty. Foreign involvement was considered to be a humiliating treatment of the Chinese people. The westerners originally were supportive of the Taiping rebellion due to its "Christian" roots and extreme discipline, however, after further contact, the western leaders realized that they had misevaluated the Taiping ideology3. Furthermore, the instability that the Taiping rebellion caused disrupted the Western economic interests in the Qing. The Qing also realized that the West posed a threat to their sovereignty but not to their actual existence, whereas the Taiping represented an attempt to destroy them. This required foreign aid to finally stamp out the rebellion, but was still taken as a hard pill to swallow as it required the Qing to go to foreign powers for help with domestic affairs. Boxer Uprising The Boxer Uprising had a different route. In response to the vast spheres of influence held by western powers, nationalist sentiment boiled over into a violent anti-Christian and anti-foreigner uprising. Eventually quashed by a combined force of Austria-Hungary, Germany, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States, it represented a resounding blow to Qing sovereignty. During the onset of the Boxer Uprising, there was some initial anti-Manchu violence, but this quickly died down as the westerners were designated as the real enemies of the Chinese people. The Qing government was initially hesitant on supporting the Boxers, and never was fully united on supporting them, but eventually did provide nominal support for the rebels in order to try and avoid the damage that they could inflict3. The Eight nation alliance quickly crushed the uprising and its halfhearted Qing supporters. The Qing then were forced to pay a massive indemnity for its role in the uprising. The Complexities of Chinese History The Taiping Rebellion and Boxer Uprising are both extremely odd fits in the Century of Humiliation narrative. First, they are both internal conflicts with outside interference rather than outsiders outright dominating or defeating China. This bears out in a way that makes both events extremely complex parts of the narrative, and thus of Chinese history as a whole. The multifaceted nature of both events also contributes to this complexity. Finally, in both cases, foreign powers were needed to end the unrest but were later vilified as being imperialist forces that continue the humiliation. Those two striking contrasts (between being needed and not wanted) make the foreign interactions another complex facet of China's past. Footnotes 3Moise, Edwin E. Modern China 3rd Edition pg 40. London, Great Briton: Pearson Education Limited, 2008. 4W.M. Theodore de Bary and Richard Lufrano. Sources of Chinese Tradition Volume Two pg 216''.'' New York Chichester, West Sussex. 2000.